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“Do you any plans tonight?” Madison asked after a moment, her hands on her hips as her steps slowed, and she turned back to face Payton.
“Plans?” Payton echoed, her pulse jumping, her mind racing.
Why would Madison be asking her if she had any plans? There was nothing in her calendar beyond seven o’clock. No charity events. No business functions.
“Yes. Are you free tonight?”
A knock on the door interrupted them.
“Come in!”
Payton turned to see Nina hovering in the doorway, and she got up off the chair that Nina would be occupying.
“Payton, we’ll talk later,” Madison said as she returned to her desk, and Payton nodded before showing herself out, her heart hammering against her ribs, her legs a little wobbly.
What had just happened?
She barely made it to her desk, ignoring the other six people who she shared the room with, all of them furiously typing away or busy on the phone.
Payton flopped onto her chair, slouching, her arms limp against the arm rests, hanging over the side as she leaned back, her eyes closed, her lips spreading into a stupid grin.
Madison Dunne was into women.
6
Madison was already dreaming of a relaxing bubble bath, a glass of wine in her hand. Maybe a good book.
But when she left her office that evening, she stopped in her tracks in the hallway. Through the glass, she could see that Payton was the only one left in her shared office space.
She normally didn’t wait for Madison to leave. They had a fairly loose arrangement about work hours, because Madison was known to stay late and work weekends. Payton had always been generous with her time, and Madison paid her well for that loyalty, but she didn’t usually wait for Madison to leave the office before she did.
And that meant that she was most likely still here because Madison had told her that they’d talk later.
And they never had.
Jack had ended up in her office for much longer than their scheduled thirty-minute meeting, and by the time she wrapped up her work, she hadn’t given Payton another thought. Not until now.
Payton looked up from her desk. It was Friday night. During Pride Week. And Payton was here. Working.
Madison opened the door. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Payton glanced up at her with tired eyes, folding her laptop closed as she sat back in her chair. “Do you still want to speak with me?”
Madison leaned against the doorframe. Even though this would be a work proposition, she didn’t feel comfortable making it at the office. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “You never answered my question earlier, about whether you were free tonight. But I’m guessing you are if you’re still here.”
“No. I had no plans for tonight.”
“No plans during Pride Week?”
Payton’s eyes widened for a second, but she recovered quickly. “I might end up at a bar at some point tonight, but I honestly don’t have any plans. Why were you asking?”
Madison adjusted the strap of her handbag before folding her arms across her chest, still wondering if she was really going down this road. “I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight? Nothing fancy,” she added. “Just order some food in. I have something I want to talk to you about. A job of sorts.”
“Okay.” Payton held her gaze.
“Do you want to come back with me now? My driver’s downstairs.” Madison could feel her heart beating a little faster. “Unless you want to go home first. I don’t mind.”
“No. I’m good. And hungry. So, yeah. Let’s go.”
